Piggly Wiggly was the first self-service grocery store. It was founded by Clarence Saunders and opened on September 6, 1916, in Memphis, Tennessee. It was also the first to provide checkout stands, price mark every item in the store, use turnstiles in a modern application and, starting in 1937, provide its customers with shopping carts.
Previously, grocery store customers would have to give a list of items they wanted to a clerk, who would then fill their order while the customer waited. Saunders’ innovation allowed customers to shop and pick out items themselves. It also reduced the number of clerks needed, which in turn cut costs and lowered prices.
Customers would enter through a turnstile, pick up a hand-held basket and walk through four aisles selecting what they wanted from the store’s 600+ items, which were packaged and organized into departments. As a result, package design and brand recognition quickly became important to both companies and consumers.
It became such a success that other independent and chain grocery stores began changing to self-service. At its peak in 1932, the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million.